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Marcus Vick Twitter Rant Is More Evidence Eagles Must Part Ways with His Brother

Chris Roling@@Chris_RolingX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistNovember 6, 2012

NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 5:  Michael Vick #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles throws a pass against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 5, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The Saints defeated the Eagles 28-13.  (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

As Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick had another horrible performance against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, his brother Marcus Vick went on an epic Twitter rant highlighted by his demanding the Eagles trade Vick. 

Marcus, who had a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins in 2006 before dropping out of the NFL entirely, was disgusted by the offensive line protecting his brother all night long, and even went as far as to request a trade for Michael (h/t Bleacher Report):

Marcus Vick chimes in… RT @mvfive Please trade my brother. We requesting out of Philly!!!! Please please please......

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 6, 2012

Marcus' frustration was warranted as the Eagles fell to the Saints 28-13. Michael was abused all night, throwing for 272 yards, a touchdown and an interception that was returned for a touchdown.

Not helping matters was his porous offensive line, which lost starting tackle Todd Herremans to an ankle injury early, as Mike was sacked a ridiculous seven times. 

In eight games Vick has been sacked 27 times, which places his line in the top-three of sacks allowed on the season. According to ProFootballFocus, the Eagles line is ranked No. 28 overall in pass protection this year. 

While the Eagles quarterback has been committing turnovers at a record pace with nine interceptions and eight fumbles in only eight games, a large amount of his woeful play can be directly attributed to the offensive line, which was the main recipient of Marcus' night-long rants. 

There has been speculation most of the season that Vick will be benched for rookie Nick Foles, a player head coach Andy Reid selected in the third round of the 2012 draft to eventually succeed Vick—but that succession could happen sooner rather than later, thanks to the lack of job security for Reid. 

Now that Marcus has publicly chimed in on his brother's fate with the Eagles, it has become apparent that Reid and Co. must part ways with Michael one way or another. 

A media storm is brewing over Marcus' request, and Vick claimed postgame he remains unaware of his brother's comments, according to Lew Bowen via Twitter. 

Vick: unaware of Marcus tweet. Will have to address that when i get out of here. That is not the case. I love each and every guy in this LR

— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) November 6, 2012

For now, Michael has done an outstanding job of navigating the yet-to-arrive media storm courtesy of his brother, and for now he has been able to uphold the loyalty of the locker room and coaching staff in Philadelphia. 

We've seen this show in Philadelphia before as the media surrounds and ignites an already bad situation, making it worse. While Marucs hasn't done his brother any favors with his comments, he certainly wasn't incorrect in his points. 

If a failed NFL quarterback/wide receiver/kick returner such as Marcus can see just how horrendous the offensive line is in Philadelphia, then so can Vick, his agent and the entire fanbase. The best option now is for both parties to part ways. 

The Eagles cannot be associated with any more off-field distractions, especially with an imminent rebuilding phase centered around a young quarterback. Reid and Co. gave Vick his shot at redemption, but the relationship has now reached a boiling point. 

Vick, whether he be traded or outright released in the offseason, has a few good years of football left in him and should be able to find a quarterback-needy team with a solid offensive line. If Vick can find a stable organization and offensive line, he can potentially return his play to an elite level.

Marcus Vick may have went on a childish Twitter rant Monday night, but it is just the latest shred of evidence in a building case that the relationship between the Eagles and his brother is over. The sooner the two part ways, the sooner both will find success.